DAVID BECKHAM

Beckham's Childhood-

Beckham was born atWhipps Cross University HospitalinLeytonstone, London, England.He is the son of David Edward Alan "Ted" Beckham (b.Edmonton, London, July–September 1948), a kitchen fitter, and wife (m.London Borough of Hackney, 1969)Sandra Georgina West (b. 1949),ahairdresser. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park,Chingford, as a child, and attended ChaseLane Primary School and Chingford FoundationSchool. In a 2007 interview, Beckham said that,"At school whenever the teachers asked, 'What do you want to do when you're older?' I'd say, 'I want to be a footballer.' And they'd say, 'No, what do you really want to do, for a job?' But that was the only thing I ever wanted to do." Beckham's maternal grandfather was Jewish,and Beckham has referred to himself as "half Jewish"and spoken of the influence the religion has had on him. In his bookBoth Feet on the Ground, he stated that growing up he always attendedchurchwith his parents and his two sisters, Joanne and Lynne. His parents were fanatical Manchester Unitedsupporters who would frequently travel toOld Traffordfrom London to attend the team's home matches. David inherited his parents' love of Manchester United, and his main sporting passion was football. He attended one ofBobby Charlton's football schools inManchesterand won the chance to take part in a training session atFC Barcelona, as part of a talent competition. He played for a local youth team called the Ridgeway Rovers – coached by his father, Stuart Underwood and Steve Kirby. Beckham was a Manchester United mascot for a match againstWest Ham Unitedin 1986. Young Beckham had trials with his local clubLeyton Orient, NorwichCityand attendedTottenham Hotspur's school of excellence. Tottenham Hotspur was the first club he played for. During a two-year period in which Beckham played forBrimsdown Rovers' youth team, he was named Under-15 Player of the Year in 1990.He also attended BradentonPreparatoryAcademy, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his fourteenth birthday, and subsequently signed aYouth Training Schemecontract on 8 July 1991.A Look To His Personal Life -In 1997, Beckham started datingVictoria adams, after she attended a Manchester United match. She was famously known as "Posh Spice" of the pop music groupSpice Girls, one of the world's top pop groups at the time, and his team was also enjoying a great run of success. Therefore, their relationship instantly attracted a great deal of media attention. The couple were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. He proposed to Victoria on 24 January 1998 in a restaurant in Cheshunt, England.He married Adams at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland, on 4 July 1999, and her name changed to Victoria Beckham. The wedding attracted tremendous media coverage. Beckham's teammateGary Nevillewas the best man, and the couple's son Brooklyn, then four months old, was the ring bearer. The media were kept away from the ceremony, as the Beckhams had an exclusive deal withOK Magazine, but newspapers were still able to obtain photographs showing them sitting on golden thrones.437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which was estimated to have cost £500,000. In 1999, the Beckhams purchased their most famous home inHertfordshire, unofficially dubbed BeckinghamPalace, estimated to be worth £7.5 million. David and Victoria have three sons together: Brooklyn Joseph Beckham (born 4 March 1999 in London), Romeo James Beckham (born 1 September 2002 in London, England), and Cruz David Beckham (born 20 February 2005 inMadrid, Spain[the word"cruz"is Spanish for "cross"]). Both Brooklyn and Romeo's godfather isElton John and their godmother isElizabeth Harley.They have stated that they would like to have more children, especially a daughter. In April 2007, the family purchased their new Italian villa in Beverly Hills, to coincide with Beckham's transfer to theLos Angeles Galaxyin July. The mansion, priced at $22 million, is near the homes of Tom CruiseandKatie Holmes, and talk-show hostJay Leno, in an exclusive gated community in the hills overlooking the city. In January 2010, Beckham revealed that he had started taking apastacourse at a local cooking school in Milan to fulfill a longtime desire of his.In April 2004, the British tabloidNews of the Worldcarried claims by Beckham's former personal assistantRebecca Loosthat he and Loos had an extramarital affair.A week later, theMalaysian -born Australian model Sarah Marbeck claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions. Beckham dismissed both accusations as "ludicrous".There has never been any proof of any of the allegations of Beckham's claimed infidelity. In December 2008, Beckham and his bodyguard were sued bypaparazziphotographer Emicles da Mata, who claimed that he was assaulted by them when attempting to take a picture of Beckham inBeverly Hills. Da Mata is seeking unspecified damages for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.Beck’s Celebrity Lifestyle –Beckham's highly publicised marriage to Spice Girl and media celebrity Victoria Adams, otherwise known as Posh Spice, has made them both popular targets for the tabloid press, which has dubbed the couple "Posh and Becks". They have three sons, Brooklyn, born March 4, 1999, Romeo, born September 1, 2002, and Cruz, born February 20, 2005. Beckham is well-known for his frequent hairstyle changes and, despite being criticised for influencing teenagers' hairstyles, still regularly appears sporting a radically new look.Early on in his career Beckham secured a number of lucrative sponsorship deals including Adidas, Vodafone and Diesel.In 1998 Beckham was pictured wearing a Sarong while on holiday with Victoria that resulted in much British media comment and created a characterisation of David Beckham as a well meaning and likable innocent often embarrassed by Victoria's interest in her own celebrity. This image was fixed early on in the pair's relationship when Victoria admitted she had little interest in Football. The British comedians Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona have fashioned a popular impersonation of the couple that reinforces this characterisation.Following his move to Real Madrid and the disappointment of Euro 2004, British media interest in the Beckham's has faded despite the alleged affair with Loos. In December 2004 the announcement of plans for the christening of their two children, including the construction of a fake Gothic chapel for £120,000 on the grounds of their Berkshire estate, were received with some ridicule, especially as neither are held to be strongly religious. Despite their sometimes 'gauche' lifestyle Beckham is well regarded for being a good father and supporting a number of charitable causes.However, he has become more well known in North America since the success of the British film Bend It Like Beckham. It is about a British Sikh girl who idolises David Beckham and harbours ambitions of being a football player.In 2001, Beckham became the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In the summer of 2003, Beckham was made an OBE in Queen Elizabeth II's honours list.In May of 2003 Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson ordered David Beckham not to wear his hair band during matches. It has been speculated that he believed it to be too effeminate.In 2003 his fame was evident when Staffordshire University provided a university course about the star.In April 2004, the British tabloid News of the World carried claims by his former personal assistant Rebecca Loos that he and Loos had had an extramarital affair. A week later, a second woman, Malaysian-born Australian model Sarah Marbeck, claimed that she had slept with Beckham on two occasions. Beckham has denied both allegations, describing them as "ludicrous".In July of 2004, an intruder was arrested at David Beckham's home for scaling a wall with a can of gasoline. The Sun newspaper reported that the man appeared angry with Beckham and intended to burn down the house.He is a UNICEF Goodwill International ambassador.In July of 2005, some regard Beckham as instrumental in the success of the Olympic bid for London 2012.Transfer Rumours –Near the end of the 2003-04 season, The Daily Telegraph of London reported that Beckham's major sponsors were trying to arrange for him to return to England for the 2004-05 season. Sources within the family told the Telegraph that Beckham would almost certainly be back in London. Real Madrid denied rumours that they were interested in selling Beckham, and banned British reporters from access to the team.Because of the extremely high fee that Real Madrid could command for a Beckham deal, and the fact that the other teams that could afford the fee, had financial constraints (Arsenal, Liverpool) or personality issues (Man U) that would have made a deal unlikely, speculation immediately focused on Chelsea, with its billionaire owner Roman Abramovich. Adding fuel to the rumours, Chelsea's manager at that time, Claudio Ranieri, told an Italian newspaper that the club was pursuing both Beckham and Ronaldo, and The Evening Standard of London reported that Chelsea was prepared to pay £40 million for Beckham.However, on 20 May, Beckham, in a statement issued through his agent, quashed the transfer rumours, stating that he would see out the remaining three years of his contract in Madrid. He added that his wife and sons, who had yet to move to Spain, would join him there. In November 2004 it was reported that Real Madrid intended to offer Beckham a two-year extension to his contract, which would effectively keep him in Madrid for the remainder of his playing career.In 2005, Beckham started dropping hints that he may yet leave Madrid, expressing frustration with paparazzi harassing his family. Perhaps inspired by these hints, and as an April Fool's joke, Bayern Munich announced on its official Web site that it was set to sign Beckham to a three-year deal, effective with the 2005-06 season. Spokespeople for Bayern freely admitted that the report was a hoax.